Sugar - How Does It Affect Your Skin?

The excessive consumption of sugar may cause certain imbalances within the body and result in the secretion of the hormone insulin and IGF-1. These cause the sebum glands on your skin to become over productive, which results in the excess secretion of oil. This will result in the clogging of the pores on the skin and thus, result in the development or even the aggravation of acne. Thus, reducing sugar intake has been known to show a marked improvement in reducing acne.

Sugar consumption has been linked to inflammation and is known as a leading cause for causing rashes and redness. Even the most basic form of dermatitis or skin infections can be attributed to the excess consumption of sugar, especially from sources such as sweetened carbonated beverages. Even processed foods which have copious amounts of added processed sugar should be removed from the diet as well.

Excessive consumption of sugar has been linked to inflammations of the skin which is a major contributor to skin diseases such as psoriasis. When blood glucose levels are pushed up within the body due to excessive consumption of sugar, it disrupts the absorption or the flow of oxygen into the skin and thus reduces antioxidants, causing an inflammation. Reduction in the intake of sugar has been known to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis.

While sugar is known to cause many ailments on the skin such as hyperpigmentation or discoloration of the skin, very few people know that it can also cause wrinkles on your skin. Sugar consumption can lead to a process known as glycation which is the binding of the proteins with the blood sugar, which then results in the formation of excessive collagen, thus making the skin brittle.